Embodiments of this invention are generally related to interactive cable television services and more particularly related to enabling a cable television service user to remotely manage a digital video recorder (DVR) over a network.
Cable networks have evolved from downstream broadcast systems provided over coax cable to hybrid fiber cable (HFC) networks capable of both downstream and upstream communications using both analog and digital signals. With respect to video services, modern set top boxes send upstream signals to the headend to request video on demand (VOD) services, pay per view (PPV) services, and switched video broadcast (SVB) services and to issue control commands (play, stop, fast forward, rewind, and pause) that affect the video stream. Two-way STBs are addressable, can be associated with a user, and can be associated with a physical location within an HFC cable network. DVRs allow subscribers to determine what to watch and when.
DVRs have become extremely popular over the last several years. Millions of people rely on these devices to pause and rewind live television, and to keep track of broadcast schedules and record programs for them. Many consider them just as essential to their daily lives as their cell phones. The DVR records television shows to a hard disk in digital format. The DVR receives programming in digital format or converts analog signals to digital format.
Because the recording is digital, it can be manipulated to provide features not available to analog recorders. For example, a DVR allows a user to pause live TV, provide instant replay of interesting scenes, and skip advertising.
One of the most compelling features of a DVR is the ability to schedule program recordings based on an interactive program guide (IPG). IPG's are typically downloaded to a DVR and used by a user to select programs for recording. Some DVRs interact with the IPG to allow programs to be recorded on a recurring basis. Other DVRs provide for recording programs by “type.” In this mode, the DVR uses an algorithm to select programs for recording that meet preference criteria established by the user or that are similar to programs selected by the user.
Downloading of the IPG is typically accomplished via a network. Some DVRs support an Internet connection while others comprise a modem for downloading files via the public switched telephone network. In a cable environment, the IPG may be acquired from a set top box using an out-of-band channel or from a DOCSIS-compliant set top box via a high speed digital link. IPGs vary in detail and the frequency with which the programming data is updated.
A DVR that supports a network connection is a candidate for network based remote scheduling. Remote scheduling is similar to scheduling programming at the DVR. For example, in a Web-based remote scheduling system, a searchable IPG is provided on a Web page. A program is selected and the program selection is downloaded to the DVR during a communication session between the IPG server and the DVR using the network connection established for the IPG download.
While remote scheduling of programs enhances the user experience with a DVR, the current systems use a store-and-forward model that does not provide a user with confirmation that the selected program will actually be recorded. For example, if the network connection between an IPG remote scheduler and the DVR is faulty, the program selection may not be communicated to the DVR in time for recording the selected program. The DVR may not be able to record the selected program because it is turned off or is not properly connected, or because the DVR does not have sufficient storage space. The program receiver, such as a set top box (STB), may not be able to acquire the selected program because of problems with the STB, problems with the network to which it is connected, and/or problems with the programming source, such as a video-on-demand server.
What would be useful is a remote scheduling system that evaluates current diagnostic information relevant to the recording of a selected program and informs a DVR user that the selected program will not be saved to the DVR.